Little Eve starts primary one and is the only pupil at her school on the isle of Rum

Headteacher Stuart Poole with Eve on her first day at school (Image: Peter Jolly)

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EVE MORRIS has only just started primary school – and she’s already top of the class.

The five-year-old is the only pupil at her school on the isle of Rum.

It has been mothballed for the past year after its last pupils moved on to secondary school on the mainland.

But Eve’s playtimes shouldn’t be lonely for too long because two other children are due to start in the next couple of years.

Eve’s mum Ali said: “I hope more families move to the island so the school stays viable – and Eve has some playmates.

“This is the worst ­situation for the number of schoolchildren here I have known.”

Headteacher Stuart Poole oversees the schools on Rum and nearby Canna but he has been working in ­Knoydart while both lay empty.

He insisted being boss of a single-student school isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Stuart, 54, said: “It presents more and unusual ­challenges compared with mainland schools. When I first came here, there were six pupils, all at different stages, so it was challenging ensuring each got the appropriate level of education for the stage they were at.”

With a ferry only running three days a week, it’s impossible for children as young as five to make a daily trip to the mainland and unfair to expect them to spend several days away from their parents.

Secondary pupils go to Mallaig High School and only get home to Rum every second weekend.

But with a four-year-old girl and a boy of two among the island’s 39 residents, the future looks bright.

Ali said: “It looks as if things are going to improve and it would be great to have a strong school roll to ensure its future for many years to come.”